


A Captain and a Mobster

by IrishBella



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:35:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26226505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IrishBella/pseuds/IrishBella
Summary: What will happen when the Head of the White Crime Family falls head over heels for an up-and-coming police officer?
Relationships: Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan
Comments: 9
Kudos: 72
Collections: Swan Queen Supernova V: Forever Starstruck





	A Captain and a Mobster

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [A Captain and A Mobster](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26204194) by [RegalLady36](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RegalLady36/pseuds/RegalLady36). 



Regina’s loved this run-down building since she was young. Since her mother brought her to this dreadful part of town, there’s been this disgusting building that no one wanted to fix. They drove past it every day. It’s right on main street. Her mother used to make comments about that “eye sore” of a building, complaining about how it brought down the value of the properties she and her new husband owned nearby. But Regina saw something in this old, ugly, brick building. So, as soon as she graduated college and officially moved out of her mother’s house, she bought this lifeless old building and put her heart and soul into it; against her mother’s wishes.

She moved into the top apartment, put all of her things in one tiny room. And slowly started cleaning up, room by room.

The apartment was first. She fixed the pipes, got new appliances, and updated everything except the exposed brick walls. 

Then she tackled the downstairs and the basement. Thankfully, some of her stepfather’s goons helped, bringing in a dumpster and helped carry some of the heavier things that took more than one person. It’s about the only good thing that’s happened since her mother married that man. 

They helped her move out most of the junk but when they were lifting a giant sign that said “Roni’s” she made them stop.

“It’s perfect.” 

It’s the last thing to put up before the bar is ready to open.

Opening night is packed. So many people from the neighborhood, and a few of the people who work for her stepfather, but she’s able to overlook that. Because she’s got her own bar. And her best friend is beside her, working with her, laughing with her. They’re tossing bottles between them, mixing drinks and making themselves, and their patrons, laugh. 

“Okay, okay, okay. Now, which one of you is Roni?” One of the patrons asks after they’ve been pouring drinks for hours.

“Excuse me?” Regina asks, confused. 

Kathryn giggles, taking another shot and leans over the bar to whisper, “It’s not me.” 

“Well then, your pretty friend, Roni, has a really wonderful bar,” he says back.

“I know,” Kathryn says before standing up and kissing Regina’s cheek. “Love you, Ron,” she teases.

Regina rolls her eyes, but doesn’t correct the patrons. To them, she’s not Regina Mills. They don’t know who she is, where she’s from, or who her family is. It was very freeing for her. Here, she was Roni, a damn good bartender, who knew how to run a business and how to have a good time.

Her bar became a sort of safe haven for people. She didn’t ask questions, she didn’t want to know their business; she just wanted to serve them food and drinks, and then kick them out at closing time. 

But she didn’t have to ask questions to know things about people. Just by watching patrons, she knew lots about them. How they were feeling, if they’d had a bad day, if they’d had a rough life; she just knew.

People loved her bar for the privacy and for the kind owner and her bartenders. They protected their patrons, which in turn encouraged all sorts of people to show up.

Like the mob.

Regina has no part in this life, yet it’s the life her mother decided to throw her into when she married her new husband. They moved into this shady part of town into the largest house in the city, and Regina asked no questions. She knew it wasn’t pertinent for her to understand the ins and outs of her mother’s new life, but she picked up a few things; enough to pick up a mobster when she saw one.

At first she thought it was her stepfather’s people, just stopping in to “help his poor stepdaughter’s fantasy of running a business”, but then they kept coming and stealing up corner booths and staying for hours, with lots of people moving in and out around them. Regina hadn’t met all of her stepfather’s employees, yet she had never seen any of these people before.

She chose to ignore these patron’s private affairs. As long as they didn’t drag in the riff raff, she would continue to serve them.

Until Mary-Margaret decided to join her one evening.

“Uh-oh stepsister approaching,” Kathryn warned her under her breath as they were mixing drinks one night. 

Regina refused to look up. She was in the middle of prepping 5 drinks at once and was not about to lose her concentration over her little stepsister.

“Regina!” she calls and waves from the end of the bar.

One of her regulars, waiting patiently for their drinks, hears and asks, “Who’s Regina?”

“Looks like a case of one confused little girl,” Regina tries to say with a light-hearted smile. But she doesn’t succeed as her regular still looks a bit uncertain. Regina gives them their drinks and murmurs, “maybe if she pretends to know me, she thinks she’ll get free booze.” Her regular laughs and Regina knows she’s convinced them.

“Don’t serve her, Roni, she looks like she’s barely of age,” another customer warns good-naturedly. 

Regina winks and moves away from the bar, toward her stepsister, “What are you doing here Mary-Margaret? You’re not 21 yet; you could get me in a lot of trouble. And yourself! Out past curfew!”

“Well...It’s just….you see…” 

“You’re starting sentences and not finishing them Mary-Margaret, get to the point.”

“Ugh,” she groans and dramatically falls onto a stool. “Daddy won’t let me come out and see you here, and Cora’s the reason behind it I know, but I haven’t seen you in ages Regina and I _miss_ you!”

Regina raises her eyebrows, Mary-Margaret’s confession has stunned her. She knew her mother didn’t approve of her purchase to buy this bar, let alone fix it up and run it; according to her mother she had “so much more potential” and yet, she didn’t know she was attempting to separate the two girls because of it. She continued to stare at Mary-Margaret until finally she sat back up.

“Regina?” she asks.

“Sorry. I just didn’t know Cora was actively trying to sabotage our relationship.” Another pause as they stare at each other. Then she slowly smirks, “Guess that means that we’ll just have to try harder.”

And after that they did. Mary-Margaret started coming to the bar more often. She started coming in for dinner and sometimes even meeting Regina in the afternoon for lunch dates.

Their bond grew stronger, and Regina learned from Mary-Margaret who the players were that were frequenting her bar.

Mary-Margaret was learning the ropes from her father. She was a gifted fighter, never lost a fight; has been going to tae-kwon-do since she was 5 and boxing gyms since she was 15. She started training with some of her father’s henchmen before she even knew Regina; she knew she always wanted to be a part of her father’s life, and that meant the mob. So she took what she was good at and enhanced it. 

“That’s Will Scarlet, he’s a low level thug. Mostly sells drugs for Gold. Doc Hopper, he mixes for Dad.” She points out during one of their afternoon lunches.

Their meetings continue and Regina learns more and more about the “family business”. She learns the players and their competition. And she even passes along some information to Mary-Margaret that helped Leo gain a leg up against the competition. 

Not only does the mob frequent her bar, so does the police force.

It’s weird, but the police choose her bar knowing that criminals frequent there, because Roni asks no questions. She requires no information and she _demands_ everyone be respectful inside her bar. 

Most of the time, the police officers just come in to blow off steam. They stay to themselves and leave decent tips. Regina and Kat pay them little attention. Until the perky blonde shows up.

She shows up one night after a shift and Regina can tell within seconds that she’s had a hard day. Regina passes her shots and with each shot, the blonde’s flirting becomes more shameless and Regina actually blushes once.

Kathryn teases her endlessly about this until the blonde turns back up a week later. 

“Emma,” she introduces herself after a few too many shots and Regina referring to her as ‘Swan’ which she saw on Emma’s uniform. 

There are a few more weeks of shameless flirting, to the point where Kathryn has a running bet on how long it’ll take until they’re banging. Each day she crosses off the day before on the calendar with an audible sigh as she shakes her head in disappointment. 

One night, the jokes and teasing gets to be too much and Kathryn actually gags at the two making sex eyes across the bar. “Get a room, you two,” she says, shoving Regina toward the end of the bar and toward her apartment stairs. “Good God,” she murmurs to herself and she watches Regina take Emma’s hand and lead her toward the hall. She scoffs, “About time.”

They barely make it past the bathrooms before Emma pins Regina against the wall. 

Regina smirks into the kiss and tangles her hands in blonde locks. 

Emma shifts her attention to Regina’s neck and she groans, “Em-ma.”

“God you’re so hot,” Emma mumbles into skin. Regina tightens her grip in Emma’s hair. “Roni,” she groans.

“Regina,” she tells her, pulling blonde hair to look into green eyes. “My name is Regina.”

“Regina? Then who’s Roni?”

Regina shrugs, “I found the sign when I was rebuilding. Everyone just assumed it was me and that suited me just fine.”

“God that’s sexy,” Emma says, going back to attack her neck.

Regina can’t help but laugh as she pushes the blonde away and drags her up the stairs to her apartment.

They continue on like that. Never quite casual exclusively seeing one another, but not talking about family, friends, or anything too serious. Until Mary-Margaret came along.

Regina’s at the bar, refilling drinks at the opposite end from Emma.

“Hey Gigi,” Mary-Margaret says with a smirk, sliding up across the bar from her stepsister. “Whiskey neat,” she requests.

“Mary-Margaret,” Regina looks at her with wide, shock-filled eyes. “What are you doing here?” She leans closer, “There are cops in here.”

“Exactly,” Mary-Margaret whispers with a smirk, tapping the side of her nose, “They don’t even have a clue what’s happening here.” 

“That’s because I run a legit business,” Regina tells her, lifting her chin in defense. She pours Mary-Margaret’s drink and slides it to her. They share a look and both crack up, unable to even _pretend_ that’s true. Regina spares a glance over at Emma, waiting patiently at the other end of the bar. They share a smile.

“Oh. My. God. That’s _her_ , isn’t it?” Mary-Margaret asks, her smirk growing into a full-fledged grin. 

“Mary-Margaret, don’t you dare,” Regina warns.

“What would I do, Regina?” Mary-Margaret fakes innocence. Regina’s eyes flash. “Oh, please. I’m not going to _stab_ her.” She makes to move across the bar, her drink in hand.

“Mary-Margaret!” She turns to see Regina...sounding...scared? Mary-Margaret pauses. “She doesn’t know.”

“Doesn’t know what?” 

Honestly, she needs blonde hair. The doofus. Regina rolls her eyes, “She doesn’t _know_ .” A pause. Regina has a deep sigh. “Who I am. Who my family is. What we _do_.” She says incredibly slow.

“Ohhhhhhhhhh,” it finally clicks. “Right, well I don’t have to tell her any of them.”

“Mary-Margaret. Don’t mess this up,” she warns.

Mary-Margaret doesn’t listen. “I think one of your patron’s needs another drink,” she tells Regina with a smile. She points to a man trying to get her attention around the corner of the bar.

“Don’t do it, M&M, or I’ll kick your ass.”

Mary-Margaret laughs deeply as Regina moves away, “I’d like to see you try,” she scoffs. She waits for Regina’s attention to be completely consuming by refilling drinks before she moves over toward the blonde. “Hi there!” she greets freakishly perky.

“Hi…?” Emma says, unsure of all the bubbly bullshit.

“What’s your name?” Mary-Margaret asks.

“Emma,” she tells her, still unsure what to make of this brunette.

“Em-ma,” she says, tasting the name on her tongue, “that’s a pretty name.”

Emma remains silent. 

“I’m Mary-Margaret.”

Emma tries to be polite. This one seems nice enough. A little overbearing, but Emma can waste some time until Regina’s done refilling drinks and makes her way back down to this end of the bar. They talk about their jobs. Mary-Margaret works security and is intrigued by Emma’s work as a police officer. She asks polite, but prodding questions. Emma’s spidey senses are tingling, but Mary-Margaret isn’t _directly_ lying. Emma would know if she was lying, but something’s off. They keep talking.

“So, what made you choose this bar?” Emma asks, “I haven’t seen you in here before.”

Mary-Margaret raises an eyebrow, “Do you keep a close eye on _all_ the patrons of the bar?” she smirks, “Or do you just have a thing for dangerous brunettes? Or maybe it’s just your cop senses talking?” she asks with a grin.

“Something like that…” She’s still unsure what to make of this woman.

They sit in silence again.

“Well,” Mary-Margaret says finally, “to answer your question. My sister owns this bar.”

Emma’s silent. She looks over at Regina, who has noticed they’re talking. She makes her way over, looking unsure but entirely furious.

“You’re Regina’s sister?” Emma asks, turning her attention back to Mary-Margaret.

“Step-sister,” Regina corrects, catching the end of the conversation.

“You know her real name?” Mary-Margaret asks, impressed. She turns to Regina, “Making progress, Gigi,” she teases.

Regina gives her an eye roll. 

Emma’s feeling out of the loop and chooses to focus on one thing, “Gigi?” she asks with a snort.

“A dreadful childhood nickname,” she explains.

“She pretends to hate it,” Mary-Margaret says, “but,” she leans forward and whispers, “I know she secretly loves it.”

“I would dance on your grave,” Regina deadpans. 

Mary-Margaret laughs, “Love you too, Gigi. Now,” she says, finishing her drink in one swallow. “I’ll leave you and your _girlfriend_ to it.” She moves toward the door but turns around and leans toward them both, “Practice safe sex ladies.” Before she disappears into the night.

“Ugh. I hate her.”

There’s a beat of silence.

“Soooooo...you have a sister?”

“ _Step_ -sister,” Regina corrects. “An _embarrassing_ little step sister.”

“Seems intense.”

“She is.” A beat. “I’d tell you she’s harmless, but that would be a lie.”

“Her bite is worse than her bark?”

“Deadly,” Regina promises with a smirk. “Now, enough about Mary-Margaret, wanna get out of here?”

“You don’t have to close tonight?”

“Nah,” she says with a shrug, “Kathryn said she would. But on one condition.”

“Which is?” Emma asks with a raised eyebrow.

“That I have fun tonight,” she says as she moves around the bar.

“You? Would you even know how?” Emma teases with a smirk.

“I can think of a few ways,” Regina promises, taking her hand and dragging her from the bar.

Kathryn watches with a smile, happy for her best friend.

***

“You have to tell her,” Mary-Margaret says during one of her back room meetings over lunch.

“I don’t have to do anything,” Regina tells her, cleaning glasses and not looking up at her stepsister. “I don’t even have to let you use my backroom for your business deals,” she tells her with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh, but you love that it pisses off your mother so much,” Mary-Margaret tells her with a grin.

“Well, yes, there’s that,” Regina allows.

Mary-Margaret mocks, “How dare you run a bar instead of run for president,” she attempts a posh accent.

Regina chuckles and shakes her head. The smile falls from her face as she says, “M&M, you can’t keep holding meetings here in the middle of the day. People are going to notice.”

“People? Or your _girlfriend_?” she teases.

Regina scoffs, “Emma’s not-”

Mary-Margaret holds up her hand, “I swear to God if you call her a lover instead of a girlfriend I’m going to barf all over your bar.”

An eye roll escapes Regina, “You are _such_ a child.”

Mary-Margaret smirks. “Says the one who refuses to label your relationship for what it is.”

Regina shakes her head, “It is what it is. And that’s _none_ of your business.”

She giggles, “Are you going to kick my shady friends out now that you’re dating a detective?”

“I’m not going to kick you out M&M. But you’re going to have to tone it down a bit. Emma already knows different players visit my bar.”

“She does?”

Regina shakes her head and scoffs, “She’s not an idiot. She has _eyes_. Pause. “She’s already tried to get me to kick them out.”

“She has?”

A nod. “She doesn’t want their shady business deals falling back on me.”

“Awwwwwwwww!” Mary-Margaret fakes a swoon, complete with the back of her hand against her forehead. “That’s _so romantic!_ ”

“Ah yes, not wanting your partner to go to jail. A mark of true love,” Regina snarks.

“Hey!” Mary-Margaret says, hands up in the air, “You’re the only one that mentioned love.”

Regina shakes her head.

“You know you’re going to have to tell her everything eventually, right?”

“I don’t HAVE to do anything.” Her chin lifts in defiance.

“Yes, you do,” Mary-Margaret tells her softly. “You care about her, Gigi. She deserves the truth and you know it has to come from you.”

Regina sighs, “I know,” she whispers.

***

It’s a lazy Sunday and the bar is closed, Emma and Regina are lounging on Emma’s couch, a Netflix & Chill kind of night. Emma had chosen some god awful action movie with _horrific_ special effects. So, Regina wasted no time climbing onto her lap to distract herself (and Emma).

It works. And soon they’re naked on the couch and Emma’s drawing nonsensical lines across Regina’s arm as they catch their breath. The movie drones on behind them.

“Why do you let mobsters make deals in your bar?” Emma blurts out without any tact.

Regina realizes it doesn’t even bother her how Emma blurts things out like this. In fact, it’s a little refreshing. Except for the fact that she wished it wasn’t about this particular topic. She shrugs, “Their money is as green as anybody else’s.”

“But they’re criminals!”

Regina sits up and looks down at the blonde before her. “Not in my bar they’re not. They’re simply customers.”

“But-” Emma shakes her head, “How can you be okay with them being in your bar? They’re-” she swallows thickly and whispers, “Some of them are murderers.”

Regina scoffs and rolls her eyes, “Are you telling me that none of the cops that enter my bar have ever killed anyone?” she challenges.

“That’s different,” Emma tells her.

“Why? Because that’s a justification I’d LOVE to hear,” Regina says with a raised eyebrow. 

“Oh come on, Regina. You know it’s different.”

“Do I? Because the way I see it, Roni’s is a place for anybody. No matter your background, or your life outside the bar, you’re welcome inside. As long as you’re polite and you pay, you’re able to stay and drink.

“But they’re _criminals!”_ Emma repeats.

Regina shakes her head in disbelief. “So you keep saying. And yet, nothing has ever happened there. No theft. No murder. Not even a broken glass during a brawl. People know none of that shit will be tolerated. So, it stays outside.” Before Emma can say something she continues, “There isn’t even an issue between the cops and the ‘criminals’ you keep referring to.” There’s a pause. “Well?” Regina challenges. “This is obviously something you feel strongly about. So, make your case.” Silence. “Why should I kick these ‘criminals’ out and stop taking their money?”

A beat of silence. “I honestly thought them being criminals would be evidence enough,” Emma tells her.

Regina scoffs, “Oh Emma, did you truly think I had no idea about the people that frequent my bar?” She stands and starts finding her clothes, dressing as she goes.

“What are you doing?” Emma asks, sitting naked on her couch.

“Well, you obviously don’t trust me or my judgment so I should probably just go,” she says, looking for her shirt.

“Come on, Regina,” Emma says, grabbing her hand, stilling her before she tugs her back onto the couch between her sprawled legs. “It’s not like that. I just don’t want you to get in trouble if something happens and it gets traced back to your bar.”

“That would never happen,” Regina tells her honestly.

“You can’t be sure of that,” Emma reasons.

“Actually, I can,” Regina says biting her lip nervously.

Emma’s confused. “Why do you say it like that?”

“Just trust me on this, Emma.” Regina tells her. “I know for a fact that my bar is one of the _safest_ place in this city. Both the cops and the mob love to go there. They wouldn’t want their neutral ground to disappear.”

Emma still looks unsure, but nods in agreement. “As long as you’re sure,” she tells her.

Regina smiles, “I’m sure,” she reiterates.

“Well, in that case, you’re currently wearing too many clothes to finish this movie.”

“Is that so?” Regina asks, a challenging glint in her eye.

“It is as a matter of fact.”

“Then I suppose you better doing something about that, Detective.”

Emma smirks before launching herself onto Regina, pinning her down on the couch as she unhooks her bra before flinging it over the back of the couch toward the kitchen. She stares down at the brunette beneath her and slowly kisses her way down her body as she removes the rest of her clothing. 

***

Regina _has_ to tell Emma about her family and the family business. They’ve been dating for months now. To the point where they spend more nights together than apart. And it’s getting harder and harder to keep Emma and her family away from each other. Her parents know she’s been seeing someone. Mary-Margaret let that cat out of the bag (like usual-she’s the worst secret-keeper Regina’s ever known). But their parents had already been suspecting something was up and had been demanding answers for weeks before Mary-Margaret broke. She didn’t give them any details other than ‘There’s someone and they’re very important to her.’ And telling them to ask Regina themselves. 

They very well would have except Regina hasn’t shown up to a family dinner in _years._ Preferring to avoid it until it sent her mother into a rage and her presence was demanded.

She was usually able to use the bar as an excuse but she’d been using most of her free days to spend with Emma since the blonde had less flexible hours.

Speaking of the blonde, she had been spectacularly avoiding the topic of parents. She knew from the few times Regina spoke of them, that her father had died when she was young and that her father had died when she was young and that her mother had remarried Mary-Margaret’s father. She doesn’t know more and she doesn’t exactly want to pry. Although her own parents are starting to ask when they’ll get to meet the beautiful girl their daughter is so smitten with.

It’s to the point where Emma can’t come up with excuses anymore. 

“My parents want to meet you.” She blurted out in bed one night. 

“You really suck at pillow talk, you know?” Regina tells her, turning her head to examine the blonde.

Emma chuckles, “Yeah, I don’t really know how to just bring this up naturally in conversation.”

“So you wait to bring up your parents until we’re having sex?” Regina asks with a raised eyebrow.

“I waited ‘til after!” Emma insists.

Regina shakes her head but says nothing, looking up at the ceiling instead. 

“So?” Emma finally asks.

“So what?” Regina asks, lost in thought. 

“Do you want to meet my parents? They haven’t stopped bugging me about introducing you for months.”

“Really?” Regina asks, surprised. “They know about me?”

“Of course, Regina,” Emma says with a laugh, “I never shut up about you.”

That makes Regina smile. “Well. Yeah. I guess meeting your parents won’t be the end of the world.”

Emma laughs, “That’s the spirit! Now, would you be able to get Saturday off? If I don’t show up to the neighborhood picnic with you, I’m pretty sure by Sunday morning they’ll be scouring the city looking for you.”

“ _This_ Saturday?” Regina wonders, nerves setting in.

“Yeah…” A pause. “Is that too soon? Aw man, I shouldn’t have sprung this on you. Damn, I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s fine.” Regina tells her. “It just means I won’t have as much time to worry.”

Emma smiles, “You have _nothing_ to worry about. They’re going to love you, Regina.”

She tries to return the smile, but she’s not sure she succeeds.”

At that same moment, Emma’s alarm goes off, “Shit, I gotta go.” She starts getting dressed. “Talk later?” Regina nods and Emma kisses her cheek before disappearing out of the loft.

Regina lays there, worrying about what it’ll be like meeting Emma’s parents in just 3 days. What will they think? What will she say? How will she act?

She’s never really done the whole “meet the parents” thing. She’s never wanted to introduce anyone to her mother and she’s never really been in a relationship long enough to want to meet their parents.

Oh boy, what has she gotten herself into?

Emma’s busy the next few days. So, Regina hasn’t had a chance to talk to her since their all nighter. Hasn’t been able to ease her fears.

Kathryn thinks it’s sweet that Emma wants to take Regina to meet her parents. 

While Mary-Margaret thinks it’s hilarious to watch Regina lose her shit while worrying about everything. Her sister doesn’t get nervous about _anything._ So she is LOVING this new, anxious, side of her. Much to Regina’s annoyance.

All too soon, it’s Saturday and Emma’s texting her to be ready in ten.

Emma knocks, her jaw dropping when the door opens. “I told you _casual_ , not drop-dead GORGEOUS!”

Regina offers a small smile, “You like?” she twirls in a circle, showing off her snug, but still modest shirt, second-skin tight jeans and heeled boots that Emma’s sure she’d trip in immediately.

“I want to rip you out of the clothes and take you right now,” she tells her, all but drooling.

“Then I’m sure we’d be very late to your parents’ picnic,” Regina tells her, walking over to the kitchen island to retrieve the pasta salad she made for the event.

“What picnic?” Emma asks, not taking her eyes off Regina’s ass as she puts in gold hoops at the front mirror, leaning over the table just _so_.

Regina smirks at Emma through the mirror, knowing _exactly_ what the blonde was thinking. “Now that is not the way to make a good first impression.” Regina tells her.

“Oh, I don’t even care anymore,” she tells Regina, spinning her away from the mirror and pinning her against the table with her hips.

“Emma,” Regina warns her, “we’re going to be late.”

“Don’t. Care.” She murmurs as she starts kissing Regina’s neck. Reaching her hands around to put them in Regina’s back pockets, causing the brunette to groan as she squeezes.

“Em-ma,” Regina moans as her head falls to the crook of her neck. She lifts her hands up to thread through blonde locks as Emma’s hand roams the back of Regina’s thigh, lifting her leg up to Emma’s hip.

Regina’s completely pinned against the wall as Emma continues to explore her neck and chest, squeezing her ass and running her hand up and down Regina’s thigh until Regina’s sure her brain is about to short circuit.

“Emma,” she breathes, pulling the blonde up to look at her. 

Emma has other plans and squeezes Regina’s ass again as she attacks Regina’s lips.

“Em. Ma.” Regina says between kisses. She pulls away from soft lips but holds Emma in place by tightening her grip against the blonde’s scalp. “We’re going to be late to the picnic,” she tells her softly. 

“Screw the stupid picnic,” Emma tells her, eyes never leaving red lips.

Regina smiles and kisses Emma softly, not allowing the blonde to distract her again. She pulls Emma’s head further away, hoping her mind will clear. “I thought you wanted me to meet your parents?”

“They can wait. I’m usually fashionably late anyways,” she says, squeezing Regina’s butt for emphasis.

Regina laughs but shakes her head, disentangling herself from Emma and glancing in the mirror to see her lipstick still in place and not smeared at all. She’ll have to thank Kat for the gift when she sees her next. “Come along, Swan.” She says moving toward the door. “Time to introduce me to your parents.”

The car ride seems even longer than usual to leave the city as Regina’s brain bounces between nerves about meeting Emma’s parents and how uncomfortable she is shifting in her jeans. _Damn Emma for getting her all worked up before they left._ She taps at the sides of her pasta dish, watching out the window as the city streets turn into rolling country hills.

Before long, Regina finds Emma turning into a sub-division and into a driveway that’s already lined with cars.

“Now, I _know_ you’re nervous,” Emma tells her. “You didn’t criticize my driving or my bug the entire trip.”

“Metal coffin on wheels,” Regina mutters as she sees people walking behind the house.

Emma laughs at Regina’s half-hearted attempt to insult her car. She watches the brunette another minute before asking, “You ready?”

“As I’ll ever be,” Regina tells her before they leave the car. Regina silently wishing she had let Emma distract her before they left. Maybe she would be a little less tense.

Emma takes her free hand and whispers, “Don’t worry. They’re going to love you.” And the smile she gives Regina makes her believe, if only for one second, that this might just go smoothly. She returns the smile and then steels her nerves as they head around to the back of the house.

Regina’s not sure what she was expecting, but 100 people playing backyard games and running around while seven men manned the grills were not what she was expecting. “When you said the neighborhood-” Regina started.

“Yeah, I mayyyyy have downplayed the kinds of parties my parents throw,” Emma tells her, having the decency to look sheepish.

Regina shakes her head at the sheer number of people in the backyard. Which sounds a bit modest since the backyard is the size of a football field. “How-?” But she doesn’t get the chance to finish because someone is shouting at Emma and she’s being tugged around as a young brunette makes her way towards them.

“Hey Lil,” Emma greets with a smile.

“Hey yourself, Dumbass. Mom told me you were coming but I said no way! There’s no way you’re going to turn down spending time with-” She stops mid-sentence as she finally notices Emma’s hand holding someone else’s. “Oh my God.” A pause. “I totally owe Mom 50 bucks.”

“Nice Lil,” Emma deadpans with a shake of her head. “Thanks for having so much faith in me. Before Lily can retaliate, Emma’s introducing them. “Lily, this is Regina. Regina, this is my lesser half and biggest pain in my ass, Lily.”

“Thanks, Em,” Lily says with an eye roll. “I’ll be sure to dig out the photo albums from when you were a teen before you guys leave.”

Emma looks ready to respond before Regina lets go of her hand and steps forward, “It’s nice to meet you, Lily,” she says extending her hand.

“You too, Regina. It’s nice to finally meet you,” she says with a smile. She glances behind Emma and Regina and says, “Excuse me, but someone is about to burn the house down. I better go stop them.”

“So that’s Lily,” Regina says, watching her take off toward the house.

“I swear, she’s not always an ass. Well, that’s not really true,” she starts.

Regina laughs, “She seems very sweet,” she tells Emma.

“Oh boy does she have you snowed,” Emma says with a chuckle.

“How long have you known her?” Regina asks softly.

“Moved in here at five. Parents adopted me ‘officially’ a year later. But they’ve had Lily since she was a baby.

“And Swan?” Regina asks, never knowing how Emma got her last name. She saw “The Page’s” on a stone outside when they drove in.

“My birth name. The only thing my first mom gave to me.”

“That and your eyes,” a voice says behind them.

Regina turns and sees a lovely blonde standing tall behind them.

She turns to see Emma roll said eyes but smile nonetheless. “Hey, Mom.”

“Hello, Little Duck,” she says with such a soft smile, Regina’s sure it’ll break.

Her arms open and Emma falls into them as if pulled by an unseen force.

Regina watches-no, studies-the interaction with a soft smile. The care the two women before her show is surprising. Not that Emma wasn’t affectionate. But she looked almost vulnerable in the arms of her mother. Regina wonders what that might be like. Her own mother, however unfeeling, was never uncaring toward Regina. Merely aloof most of the brunette’s life. 

“We’re being rude, Ducky.” Emma’s mom says, opening her eyes to critically study Regina.

Emma pulls back from her mom, still maintaining a grip on her forearms. She smiles wide at Regina, “Mom. This is Regina.” A pause as the two women stare. “Regina. This is my mom. Mallory Page.”

“It’s a pleasure Mrs. Page,” Regina says with a smile, hoping her nerves aren’t on full displace.

“Oh dear, please call me Mal,” the older blonde says with a smile of her own. She releases her daughter to step forward and engulf Regina in a tight hug.

Thankfully, Regina has the sense to move the tupperware still clenched in her hands. She stands awkwardly, arms bent and spread out at her sides. One hand holding her pasta salad, the other scrambling only a moment before returning the woman’s hug. When she’s released and turns toward Emma, she sees her look as if she just dodged a bullet.

“Well, enough chit chat,” Mal says with a soft smile. “It looks as if lunch is almost ready.” Looks at Regina and the tupperware in her hand, “Oh, let me take that for you, dear.” She takes the container and says, “It was so lovely for you to bring a dish. I'll put this by the rest of the food.” With another smile, she turns away and heads over to a table piled high with food.

“I’m so sorry,” Emma says, moving back to Regina’s side and grabbing her hand. At Regina’s confusion she explains, “My mom’s a hugger. I forgot to warn you.”

Laughter bubbles its way up Regina’s chest. She shakes her head, “It’s fine dear. She’s lovely.”

Emma smiles, “Yeah, she’s pretty great.” A pause. “Whelp. Two down, one to go. You still up for this?”

Regina chuckles, “It’s a little late at this point.”

“I guess you’re right,” Emma looks at her feet.

Regina puts a finger under her chin, lifting until their eyes meet. “I’m _okay_ , Emma. This is wonderful.”

“Yeah?” Emma’s hopeful.

“Of course, darling,” Regina tells her, sharing a megawatt smile.

A loud yell of “Time for food!” has them both turning toward the house where even _more_ food has been placed on the tables in the center.

Everyone moves as one toward the tables. But Emma take Regina’s hand and pulls her off to the side, in the shade of the house. Only to find a stock man in a baseball cap talking to two other similar-looking men.

“Hey Dad,” Emma calls as all three men turn to look.

The one in the middle’s eyes bulge. “Emmykins!! You made it!”

“Always with the tone of surprise,” Emma tuts with a grin.

Her dad wraps her in a tight hug, but this time Emma doesn’t let go of Regina’s hand. He pulls back and holds both hands Emma’s cheeks. “I didn’t think you’d make it, Ems. You know, with your-” he trails off as he notices the brunette standing behind his daughter.

“Dad. Regina,” Emma says with a proud smile. “Regina. This is my dad-”

“James Page,” he recovers, reaching around Emma to shake her hand. “Pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise,” Regina says with a practiced smile.

He opens his mouth to speak, “JAMES! The meat!” Mal yells from the patio.

“Oh right,” he mutters, spinning around to pull some food off the grill. The men that were talking with him disappeared into the crowd, gathering and filling their plates.

“Come on, let’s eat,” Emma says, tugging Regina’s hand. “Catch up later, Dad,” she calls behind as she drags Regina toward the food. “I’m _starving_ ,” she tells her as she begins to fill her plate skyhigh. 

“You know, dear. I’m starting to think that’s just a regular part of your personality.” Regina teases as she, too, begins filling her plate.

They find a spot to sit together and begin chatting with those around them. Catching up on what Emma’s been up to at work and introducing Regina to them.

Eventually, Emma steals Regina away under the pretense of giving her the ‘grand tour.’

Emma merely takes her up to her old bedroom. Regina moves around the room, making notes on everything she sees: photos of the family, trophies from clubs and sports, and other mementos from Emma’s younger years.

Before Regina could finish wandering, Emma spins her and pushes her against the wall. Hands roam across her body while hungry lips attach her own.

“God, I’ve wanted to do that all afternoon,” Emma says as they separate for breath, foreheads brushing softly.

Regina can’t help but smirk. “My, my, Emma,” she tuts, “have you been introducing me to your friends and family while thinking naughty thoughts?” An eyebrow raises a challenge.

“Oh shut up,” Emma tells her, attacking her neck.

Regina moans, “Something about your childhood bedroom, huh?” 

***

Back outside, the party is starting to dwindle. Regina and Emma sneak back into the party before anyone starts asking about their absence and soon they find themselves sitting around a table with Emma’s sister and parents.

“So Regina,” Mal attempts to be nonchalant. “What’s wrong with your family?”

Regina coughs, her drink getting stuck in her throat; Emma’s eyes bulge, “MOM!”

“What?” she asks innocently, “I’m just trying to figure out why she’s meeting us before you meet her parents.” She pauses. “I mean, I know you believe we’re trouble.” Another pause, Lily scoffs, “Okay, that _I_ cause trouble. But what’s her reason?”

Regina clears her throat, “Well, my family isn’t really the most pleasant,” she says, body tense, very uncomfortable with this line of questioning, but not entirely surprised either.

“But what do they do?” Mal pushes.

“Nothing really. My stepfather runs his own business and my mother helps him.” She’s still uncomfortable, but she’s forcing herself to relax with a casual shrug.

“Emma tells me you have a sister,” Lily interjects, trying to distract her mother.

“Yes, I do. Mary-Margaret,” Regina says, relaxing slightly.

“What’s she like?” she asks softly, noticing the different tone in Regina’s voice.

Regina shakes her head with a fond smile, “A menace.”

Lily laughs, “Little sisters usually are.” They share a knowing smirk.

Emma scoffs, “You’re barely older than me, Brat.”

“Always so immature. “ Emma sticks out her tongue. “Exactly,” Lily says with a raised eyebrow.

Emma glowers, sitting back in her chair, folding her arms across her chest, pouting.

Regina laughs, patting Emma’s thigh, squeezing it lightly with a smirk.

Topics of conversation move back to safety after that, they even play a game of cards where Regina finds out that James cheats. And badly. Looking over shoulders, SHAMELESS table talk, and throwing his cards when he’s been dealt a terrible hand. And oh God, he “secret” hand signals to his partner. Regina couldn’t help but laugh at the insanity.

They’re on their way back to the city before Emma breaks their comfortable silence. “I’m really sorry about my mom.”

Regina looks over at her, surprised out of her thoughts.

“She just...doesn’t think sometimes,” Emma explains. “But, well, she means well...I think,” she adds with a forced chuckle. Pause. “Either way, it wasn’t fair for her to grill you about your family.”

“She was right,” Regina looks back out the window. 

Emma looks away from the road to gawk, “What?”

Regina shrugs, looking back at Emma, “I should’ve introduced you. It’s the logical next step and I just kept ignoring it.”

“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to,” Emma tells her.

“Oh, I definitely don’t want you to meet them.”

“Oh,” Emma looks down.

Regina takes her hand, resting it on her thigh, “But that has nothing to do with you and _everything_ to do with them, Emma.”

Silence. Softly Emma asks, “What are you afraid of?”

Regina looks out at the road, squeezing Emma’s hand. Eventually, “My mother has a way of ruining things that make me happy.”

“I’m not going anywhere, Gi,” Emma promises.

Regina gives a self-deprecating laugh that makes Emma’s heart hurt.

They make it back to Emma’s apartment. Emma takes her upstairs and makes her forget their conversation. Makes her believe the blonde won’t leave her. But eventually reality catches up with them.

***

They’re in Regina’s apartment when Mary-Margaret comes flying in through the window, flushed and out of breath. “Hey M&M,” Emma greets, surprised by her sudden appearance.

Mary-Margaret waves but says nothing.

“Mary-Margaret,” Regina says, unsure. “What’s wrong?” Apprehensive fear filling the space between her shoulders as she stands from the couch..

“I tried to stop them.” She shares a look with Regina.

“Stop who?” Emma asks, confused.

“Now?” Regina straightens her spine.

“You’ve got five minutes, TOPS, before she makes a scene.” Mary-Margaret confirms.

“WHO?” Emma asks, louder.

“We’ve got to go,” Regina tells her, making her way around the couch and taking Emma’s hand.

They barely make it two steps before the door flies open and into the wall. Regina flinches, frozen in place.

It’s silent as another brunette stands in the doorway.

“Regina, darling,” she says with condescending care. “What’s the matter? Surprised to see your mother in a place such as this?” she sneers.

Silence.

“Well, don’t just stand there. Invite me in!”

Regina steps back, allowing her mother to enter, placing her body physically between her mother and Emma.

Regina’s mother glances around, clearly unimpressed with the apartment she finds herself in.

She notices Mary-Margaret standing near the open window, clearly choosing to climb the fire escape rather than fighting her way through the crowded bar. She tuts, “You’re getting sloppy, dear.” She looks her up and down, still out of breath, “I was expecting Regina to be long gone by the time I arrived.”

Regina stays silent, Emma can feel the tension radiating from her and tenses herself in response, stepping closer to Regina.

She moves about the room, criticizing everything. From the walls to the decor, everything is beneath her, _and_ her daughter. She rounds on Regina, starting to critique her own daughter, from her choice of dress, to how she wears her hair. That’s when she notices the blonde behind her daughter. “Must be due to the bad influence,” she sneers.

“Mother,” Regina warns.

Her phone rings. “I have to take this. I’ll be downstairs. I expect you down there in ten minutes to come home. I will NOT have you missing _another_ family dinner.” She turns away. She repeats loudly, “Ten minutes Mary-Margaret.” She disappears out the doorway.

“Wow. Your mom’s a real piece of work.”

“Regina,” Mary-Margaret starts, staring nervously at Emma.

“I know,” she tells her sister, hanging her head. “I know,” she breathes again.

“What’s going on?” Emma asks, confused as she stares between the two women before her. She looks out the window, "Oh my god is that a _limo_?"

“There’s something I have to tell you, Emma.”

Emma turns around, "You have a _limo_ , Regina?"

Meh,” Mary-Margaret shrugs, “That's pretty basic. I prefer the Hennessey Venom. Way cooler, super fast.”

“Ummmm what the hell?” She turns to Regina, “You have a Hennessey Venom and you haven’t  _ told me _ ?!”

“I don’t have that car,” Regina looks out the window.

“That’s because you’re a grumpy geezer who doesn’t love her family,” Mary-Margaret mumbles.

Regina scoffs, “You’re such a bitch.”

“Love you, Gigi,” Mary-Margaret adds with a smirk.

"Ummmmm?" Emma says, confused.

"I have to tell you something, Emma. And I know it will change everything."

Emma is still unsure, but waits for Regina to continue talking.

Regina tells her everything. Everything about her family. About her mother, and her stepfather. About the family business. Everything.

Emma scoffs at Regina’s story. “Why are you saying these things?”

“It’s the truth, Emma. I want nothing to do with it, but it’s the truth.” She looks to Mary-Margaret.

Emma looks at her too, hoping to see this is some kind of sick trick they’re trying to play.

She shrugs at Emma. 

“Well?” Emma asks, “ _Are_ you a psychotic killer, M&M?”

“I don’t know about psychotic,” Mary-Margaret says with another shrug. She opens her jacket to show her shoulder holsters concealing two guns under her armpits. Then she lifts her shirt to show two knives hidden in her belt. She lifts her right pants leg to show another gun strapped to her ankle. “I also have two in my bag _and_ a gun and a knife on my thigh.” 

Emma’s mouth drops until Mary-Margaret finally stops, “What the hell? Who _are_ you?”

“Mary-Margaret,” she says with a smile, completely unashamed of who she is.

“But you’re- you’re- you’re-”

“Mary. Margaret.” she says slowly.

Regina looks to her sister and shakes her head, “Emma,” she says, getting the blonde’s attention. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”

“Is this for real? Am I dreaming? This has got to be fake.”

“Sorry blondie,” Mary-Margaret says with a shake of her head. “All true.”

“I can’t believe this. You _lied_ _to me_ ,” Emma says, throwing an accusatory glare at Regina.

“I didn’t mean for it to happen like this,” Regina tells her, begging her to understand.

“I don’t even know you,” Emma whispers, breaking Regina’s heart, shattering it into pieces.

“You _do_ ,” Regina promises. “I have _nothing_ to do with their business. I run my bar, it’s completely separate.”

“Did you use mob-money to buy it?” Regina is silent and Emma fumes, “You can’t claim to be above it all when it’s what got you your place here. And all those criminals that frequent your bar. No wonder you were so adamant not to kick them out,” Emma throws at her.

Regina’s head falls against her chest, eyes closing as tears fall down her face.

“I can’t believe I ever trusted you,” Emma spits at her, not caring one bit how upset Regina seemed. She takes a step forward, thinking perhaps if she shook Regina this would all be a dream; none of it can be real, right?

“That’s enough,” Mary-Margaret says, no longer willing to stay silent as her stepsister falls a part. She takes a step forward and pulls her jacket aside, reminding Emma just who she’s dealing with.

“You’re a- you’re a _murderer_ ,” Emma throws at her, fumbling backwards to get away from the fiery brunette.

“Then I guess you better remember who you’re dealing with before you start throwing insults at my sister,” Mary-Margaret tells her, the threat clear in her voice.

Emma didn’t need to see Mary-Margaret shifting her jacket to remind her just who she was dealing with. A cold-blooded killer. “You’ll go to jail,” Emma tells her, jaw quivering as she tries to remain rooted to the ground instead of running away.

“Good luck, Blondie,” Mary-Margaret tells her, moving to stand in front of Regina.

“Mary-” Regina whispers, grabbing at Mary-Margaret’s jacket, refusing to look up and see the hurt expression that waits beyond her eyelids.

“Get out,” Mary-Margaret tells her, choosing to turn her focus away from the blonde breaking her sister’s heart and look at the broken woman behind her. 

Emma watches as Mary-Margaret grabs Regina’s elbows, forcing her to look up from her sunken position. She hates the way her guts twist when Regina looks over Mary-Margaret’s shoulder to stare apologetically at Emma. 

Her eyes harden and her shoulders straighten, but before she can say anything Mary-Margaret speaks, “The next time I tell you to leave it won’t be with words, it will be with my knife, Blondie” she promises as she refuses to look at the blonde.

Emma turns away from the women in front of her and runs out of the apartment, down the stairs, through the bar and out onto the street. It’s only once the door slams shut behind her, shutting her away from the bar noise that she realizes she’s crying. She knows she must’ve caused a scene, fleeing Regina like that; the regulars will be asking her for weeks why Emma left like that. Hell, she’s pretty sure Kathryn watched her with a glare the entire way out. _She must know the truth_ , Emma thinks to herself.

But it doesn’t matter. Emma’s heart is breaking and she needs to get out of this place, away from these people.

That’s when she notices she’s not alone. Regina’s mother is standing beside a limo that Emma’s sure she owns, not rents, with a smirk. Emma can’t take this. She spins away from the older woman and runs in the direction of her car, refusing to listen as Regina’s mother laughs behind her.

***

Regina has never gone this long without speaking to Emma. It’s been three weeks. Three weeks, 4 days, and 22 hours since Emma found out the truth. Since her mother showed up at her apartment and turned her world upside down. She didn’t go to family dinner that night. In fact, she and Mary-Margaret snuck out the back, avoiding even the sharpest of eyes-Kathryn-as they jumped a fence and jumped in Regina’s car before driving south to Virginia Beach.

They stayed there through the beginning of the week. Mary-Margaret, forcing Regina into the sunshine, making her drink water and even filling her full of booze to try and make her feel better. She offered to beat Emma up, but that made everything worse. So, Mary-Margaret refused to speak of her, instead focusing on other things to distract her sister. But on day three of their “vacation”, she mentioned the cute boy down the beach from them and set Regina into another fit of tears. After that, she refused to speak of anyone’s attractiveness, lest she start the grieving process back to zero.

Eventually, Regina had drank away her sadness enough to function. They came back to Boston and Regina threw herself into her work. She’d work from 6 am to bar close, sleeping only until her dreams woke her in a tear-filled sweat. Then she was up and cleaning the bar before the breakfast crowd came in, brewing coffee and setting up for their breakfast specials.

That following weekend, her mother demanded her presence once again for family dinner. And after the last fiasco, Regina obliged.

Dinner was quiet, but her stepfather was kind, asking questions about her business and carefully keeping Cora away from asking questions about the mystery woman who had been plaguing her establishment prior to last week.

After their meal, Regina made her way into her stepfather’s study, pouring herself a hefty serving of burbon from his decanter. She looked out the picture window into the garden beneath her, beautiful paths surrounded by shrubs and flowering vines. She sighed as the burbon warmed its way down her throat. Turning around, she notices her stepfather had left some documents out on his desk. And, curiosity always getting the better of her, she makes her way around the desk to look at the documents.

It’s a ledger. 

Regina’s eyebrows raise as she looks at the numbers in front of her. Yes, of course she knew they had money, and lots of it. And yes, she knew how they came into that money. But it’s another thing to see all the numbers before you.

Just as quickly, she notices a discrepancy, and then another, and another, until she’s making notes on the paper and reconfiguring the amounts as she goes.

She hears voices, “I’m sure she’s found her way into your booze, Daddy,” she hears her stepsister say.

“Oh, Leo,” her mother says walking into the room and seeing Regina behind his desk. “I do wish you wouldn’t leave work out when you leave the room,” she says with a sigh.

“Whatcha doin?” Mary-Margaret asks, pulling a flask from her father’s desk as she sits on the arm of the chair Regina rests in, her glass of burbon forgotten beside her.

“There’s discrepancies,” she murmurs, not looking up from the paperwork.

“And a lot of them judging by your markings,” Leo muses, surprising Regina as he suddenly stands behind her.

“Sorry,” she murmurs, having the descency to look ashamed at behind caught behind his desk reading things she should.

“Nonsense,” he tells her with a smile and a gentle shoulder squeeze. “I need a new accountant anyways. It seems the current one has been skimming off the top and hiding it right in front of my face.”

Cora scoffs, “Who knows how long this has been going on, Leopold. You need to make an example of him. And quickly. Remind them who they’re dealing with.”

It takes everything in Regina not to cringe at the bloodlust in her mother’s eyes.

Mary-Margaret takes out one of her knives and begins twirling it between her fingers. “I could take care of him, Daddy. You know how much I’ve missed terrorizing the help.”

Regina suddenly looks unsure, she didn’t want anyone hurt. She just saw numbers not adding up.

“No worries, Regina,” Leopold tells her, “We’ll just have a chat with him. Would you mind looking through a few more books to see what I’ve missed?”

Regina eyes him carefully, watching for any signs of a lie. “Okay, but only part time, I still have a job of my own.”

Leo smiles, “Of course, dear. We wouldn’t want your business to falter at my expense.”

***

And that’s how it starts.

Regina doesn’t take over the business all at once. It’s a slow process.

First, it was discrepancies in Leo’s ledger. It gets somebody killed, but hey, it saves him a lot of time and money. He’s impressed. He starts asking her to do more behind-the-scenes work.

Emma is unsure about this. Once she’s back in the picture. She was gone for six weeks before she showed up at Regina’s bar, begging to see her. Kathryn tells her to leave. Hell, Emma’s afraid she’ll pull a gun from behind the bar, knowing what kinds of friend’s Regina keeps. But Regina makes her way down the stairs from the apartment looking like she just got out of the shower. She freezes mid-step.

It’s at that same moment Mary-Margaret walks in the back door. “What the fuck are you doing here?” she asks.

Emma doesn’t acknowledge her, she only stares at Regina.

Regina doesn’t talk. She just nods at Emma and turns around, making her way back up the stairs.

Emma’s frozen for only a second before she rushes after her.

They talk. It was a conversation they needed to have. Everything is out on the table. Regina answers all of Emma’s questions. They both know they can’t keep trying to live without one another. It’s them against the world. Regina tells Emma she’s started keeping her stepfather’s ledger. That she’d only started after their fight. It’s new, and she’s nervous, but she likes it.

Emma’s worried for her. And for herself if they stay together. She’s still making her way up the ladder at the police department. She doesn’t tell Regina what to do; obviously, as their relationship will never be one-sided. But she does enjoy that Regina and Mary-Margaret give her lots of tips on taking out other criminals; their competition. The White Family Crime Syndicate grows. 

There are rumors about the White Family having “a man on the inside” but there’s nothing to find, so they remain rumors.

Emma climbs the ranks at the police department quickly. Making detective within the year. Then Sergeant, Lieutenant, and finally Captain. 

**

“I passed!!” she squeals as she runs into their apartment. They’re still living above the bar, but it became _their_ apartment six months after Emma made detective. They were already spending all their time together, why should Emma keep wasting rent on an apartment she never stayed at?

But now she was a sergeant. And she couldn’t believe it.

They celebrate at the bar that night.

Emma brings one of her fellow detectives, David along with her. He’s the only one she really talks with, he’s the only one who knows who Emma’s dating.

David is barely in the door before his eyes land on Mary-Margaret. “Oh no, David,” Emma tells him, “You don’t want that kind of crazy.” She tries to lead him away but it’s no use. Apparently he believes in love at first sight. And as much as Emma is still slightly terrified of Mary-Margaret (after a few too many knives flying at her only to ‘just miss her’ in the end), she knows David won’t stop talking about the brunette until she introduces them. She barely sees him the rest of the night, except to note he’s enthralled with everything Mary-Margaret is saying to him.

Ruby, a long-time friend of Mary-Margaret’s (who also happens to work for Leo now that her grandmother retired) asks Emma for a speech. Everyone cheers her on.

Emma gives a speech, just like she and Ruby planned. She thanks everyone for their support. Especially Regina. How she couldn’t imagine her life without her, how she’s made her a better person-making everyone in the bar laugh. By the end, she winds up on one knee with a ring.

Regina is frozen in shock. Everyone is silent, waiting for her to respond.

“Uhhhhh, Gi?” Emma shifts nervously, still on one knee. “You’re uh...supposed to answer.”

More silence.

Mary-Margaret comes up beside her sister and elbows her in the side, “Words, Gigi.”

Regina blinks. A breath-taking smile overtakes her face. “Yes,” she whispers.

Everyone cheers while Ruby and Mary-Margaret share a high-five.

Planning for the wedding is a whirlwind. But everything is perfect. Even Cora’s on her best behavior, largely due to Leo’s influence, but still, everything goes off without a hitch.

**

Emma doesn’t tell anyone about Regina. It’s not that she hides that she’s married. She just doesn’t actively brag about it. Although she should, her wife is hot.

She wears a wedding ring, but doesn’t talk much about her family at work. 

“Cap, when are we going to meet your husband?”

Emma laughs hysterically with David and walks away, not offering an explanation to the young detective.

Everyone in the bullpen is confused. But no one offers an explanation.

**

One night after work, which is after 3 am by the time Regina clears and cleans the bar. She makes her way to the bedroom and flops onto the bed. Emma groans but reaches over and pulls Regina against her.

“I have to shower,” Regina tells her.

“Shhhh,” Emma whispers, “Sleeping,” she murmurs, nuzzling into Regina’s neck.

“Emma,” Regina says again, trying to move.

“Nope, shoulda done that before you got in the bed. Now you’re stuck.” Emma says with a sleepy smile. 

“You could always join me in the shower,” Regina tells her, turning her head to rub her nose against Emma’s. 

“Ohhhhh my God I totally wanna do that,” Emma groans.

“Good. Get up,” Regina tells her, pulling her up. “If you hurry, I’ll let you help me undress.”

“Ohmigod, babe. Have my babies,” Emma says rolling off the bed.

“Okay,” Regina says, walking into the bathroom.

Silence.

“Uhhhhh, Emma?” Regina asks, peaking her head out the doorway, “Are you coming?”

“Wait, what?” Emma is confused. Regina raises an eyebrow. “You’d have my babies?”

“Well, obviously, Emma.” she says with an eye roll.

“But. How would that happen?”

“If I have to explain it to you…”

“I mean, I didn’t excel in biology buuuuuut…”

“Buuuut?” Regina asks with a laugh.

“I want you to have my babies.”

“Okay.”

“God, that is so hot.” Emma kisses her wife.

**

And then Henry came along.

Regina had an easy enough pregnancy. Emma took a leave of absence, but only David knew it was paternity leave.

When she goes back to work, people are confused why she was gone for 6 weeks, but she offers no explanation. Except that she passed her Lietenant’s exam.

Regina starts taking on more responsibility with her stepfather (while being home with Henry). Kathryn steps up at the bar.

Their opposite ends of the law does nothing to their relationship. They keep work out of their home, focusing instead on their family life and not their work lives.

Until Leo has a heart attack. They all rush to the hospital and wait for him to come out of surgery. The only thing that keeps Cora from making _all_ the nurses cry is Regina putting a bubbly little Henry in her arms. 

They’re brought back into Leo’s room when he’s out of recovery and find Mary-Margaret standing against the far wall.

“I had wondered where you went. I hope you put the fear of Death in these imbociles,” Cora says, moving to her husband’s bedside.

“Mother,” Regina admonishes, switching Henry in her arms and moving to Mary-Margaret’s side. “How are you holding up?” she asks, taking her free hand and squeezing her sister’s arm.

“He’ll be fine. The doctors’ say it was an easy fix. Should be out of here in a few days,” she says, completely ignoring the question.

Leo comes to and they all swarm his bedside. “All these lovely women fawning over me, how’s a man s’pose to control his ego,” he grumbles, his voice gruff and his smile weak. But he’s teasing and they all breathe a sigh of relief.

“You gave us all quite a fright, my love,” Cora tells him, gently wiping his brow.

Henry chooses this moment to screech his excitement.

“Ah yes, my boy. One can never forget your presence,” Leo says with a tired smile as he reaches up to tickle Henry’s tummy.

The boy releases a giggle and buries his head in his mother’s neck.

“What did the doctor’s say?” Regina asks, looking between Leo and Mary-Margaret.

“Oh nothing, what do these doctors’ know anyway?” Leo says, brushing away Regina’s concern.

Regina gives him a stern, unimpressed look at Mary-Margaret pushes off the wall and makes her way across the room, sitting on the bed beside her father, watching him closely.

“They say he needs to work less,” Mary-Margaret murmurs softly as she takes hold of her father’s free hand.

“Ack,” Leo scoffs, shaking his head. “They said I need to ‘de-stress’ whatever that means,” he adds with an eyeroll. 

“That means you need to work less, Daddy. Take some time off, Regina is _more than capable_ to handle things for a couple weeks.”

“Weeks?” Leo asks, sitting up, only for Cora and Mary-Margaret to gently push him back against the bed.

“Let’s start with one week,” Regina says placating the man in the hospital gown. When you get out of here, you take one week off. Perhaps you and Mother could go up to the cabin to rest and gain your strength back.”

“Strength?” he gafaws at her. “My darling girl, I’ll have you know I’ve never been in better shape in my life.”

“That is both a lie and terribly frightening,” Regina tells him with a smirk. 

They eventually convince him to take a break. Recooperate at their cabin and he does. He and Cora take a week-long vacation when he’s healthy enough to be released from the hospital. But when he returns, it’s business as usual. He only uses Regina as a second set of eyes or to balance his ledger.

Within the year he has another heart attack.

This time, the doctor is a little more insistent. And Henry’s old enough to call him Papa; Regina uses that to her advantage. “Henry needs you,” she tells him.

“Dirty play,” Leo says, looking pitiful in his hospital bed. This heart attack is taking him longer to recover from.

Regina raises his eyebrows, “As if I was ever taught to play any other way,” she says with a smirk.

He scoffs, which turns into a cough. Mary-Margaret rushes to his side and holds a cup while he sips from a straw. He sits back in the bed and looks at Regina, who’s face is practically _screaming_ that she won this round. And perhaps she did. “Fine,” he grumbles. “I’ll take another step back.”

Regina wants to clarify _another?_ As if he had originally stepped back. But she sees this as a win and moves on.

Leo begins working on 3 days a week. Then, Regina convinces him to watch Henry another day each week. For their anniversay, Regina, Emma, and Mary-Margaret send Leo and Cora to a private island. They fall in love with the anonymity and simplicity of life on the island.

It’s decided that they’ll tie up loose strings to make sure the girls are cared for and prepared for leading the family business, _then_ they’ll move permanently to the island. Their daughters promise they’ll keep them up-to-date on all the comings and goings within the business, if only to appease their slightly-terrifying and well-connected parents.

Everything is moving smoothly with the transition until the shootout happens.

Leo is finalizing the transition with one of his suppliers when he’s caught in the act by some punk-ass beat cop. He hears someone yell “Police!” and everything goes sideways.

Within an instant bullets are flying and he’s shooting bullets, ducking behind a car until there’s groaning. He knows he’s shot the cop but he can’t finish the job, because his employees are rushing him from the scene. He must be protected at all costs. Everyone waits impatiently to see if the police officer recognized Leo.

Unfortunately, he did.

 _A cop named Killian Jones was injured in the line of duty._ The news reports for the next week. _The commissioner’s kid_. Shit, could this get any worse? Detectives from Organized Crime show up within the week to question Leo. Of course, he refuses; if they want to talk to him, they can speak to his lawyers first.

In order to protect himself, he finds someone who has a history with Officer Jones. Some low-level drug dealer who made threats to the cop in open court. Leo pays him (and his babymama) a hefty sum to confess to the crime _and_ wipe out his debt with the White Family. Of course he agrees, you don’t turn down an offer from Leo White. He confesses and goes to prison for 5 years. 

Killian denies he’s the shooter. He _saw_ Leo White. But no one can _corroborate_ his story; Leo White is dirty, but there’s no proof of it. He keeps his hands clean in situations like these; and it’s nearly impossible to build a case when there’s no evidence and someone else confessed.

Killian never forgets. He throws himself and everything he has into catching Leo White.

It’s not easy. He’s disappeared. Just vanished from the scene. And no one is saying where he went. Kilian becomes a detective and transfers into Organized Crime after his father retires. There’s a new comissioner, but he’s a family friend, so he’s not too worried about getting into trouble tracking down the White Family leader. Plus, with rumors they have a spy on the inside, he can keep looking into finding Leo White as long as he keeps closing his regular cases. No biggie; plus, the new captain of Organized Crime is some blonde bimbo so if she gets testy about his _investment_ into the White Family, he’ll just turn on the charm.

**

“Dammit Swan!” She hears a shout from the squadroom. She sighs as she stands and makes her way out of her office.

“Yes?” she asks as she looks out at one of her detectives.

“You _denied_ my budget request?”

“Well, that is my job, Jones,” she spells out as if he’s an idiot. Which he is. “You can’t take a third of the budget and blow it on an undercover sting that’s only goal is to get you laid.” 

There are snickers throughout the bullpen as Jones makes an indignant noise in the back of his throat. “That’s not true,” he attempts, but the office isn’t on his side.

You see, Jones here is a jerk. He’s entitled; thinking he’s the only officer worth his salt in the Organized Crime Unit, but it took him this long to find a superior officer to push back against his assumed privilege. Just because his Dad was the Commissioner for 30 years, does not mean Emma’s going to roll over and not make him earn his keep. He became a detective at an early age simply because no one wanted the Commissioner breathing down their necks. But once he made detective, his dad retired, and then Jones moved to Organized Crime, Emma’s pride and joy. She fought against having the legacy candidate in her unit, but she lost. So, now she spends her time putting away hardened criminals and making Jones’ life difficult.

“Jones, you wanted a huge portion of the budget to blow on an operation that is more likely to flop than actually yield any results. Give me a reasonable number or give me a proposal that is going to lead to arrests, otherwise focus on doing your damn job.”

His eyes blow wide, oh she loves pissing him off like this. A vein on the side of his head pulses as he growls, “The White Crime Family is not a waste of time.”

She rolls her eyes, “Do your job, Jones. But your current proposal has been denied. Move on or get out.” She turns around, dismissing the conversation.

The squadroom is silent as she reenters her office, leaving the door open. She sits at her desk and waits for the former Commissioner to call her and rip her a new one for causing such a scene. Then she’ll have a call from the current Commissioner telling her to lay off Jones. She sends a text to her wife, _You sooooooo owe me. And I’ll be collecting tonight when they kids go to bed ;)_

She makes her way through her emails and is surprised when, instead of her phone ringing, her sergeant steps inside. “Cap,” he addresses her.

“Hey David,” she greets when he closes her door and moves over to sit across from her.

“You’re really trying to start some shit with the Jones, aren’t you?”

She scoffs, “Hardly. I just refuse to bend to his whim simply because of who his daddy is. And while I don’t like him in the slightest, I will never give a third of our budget to _any_ proposal, let alone one that’s deemed to fail,” she justifies.

David nods along with her logic. “Was he really trying to go after the White’s?”

With a nod, she confirms. “And we both know how that would end. A giant waste of time and money and all for naught.”

He agrees with another nod, “Have you talked to your wife?”

She can’t help the smile that crosses her face, “I sent her a text, but I haven’t heard back yet.” She chuckles, “I’m sure she’ll love everything about this story.”

“Except the part that includes Detective KIllian Jones,” David reminds her.

A groan escapes her throat as she leans back in her face, “I can’t believe we’re stuck with him.”

“I’m honestly surprised he hasn’t transferred departments yet,” David explains.

“I know.” She shakes her head, “If it wasn’t for his stupid vendetta, I’m sure he’d be the head of his own unit by now.”

“How has he not gotten you fired yet?” David asks, not judgment in his tone, only surprise.

Emma can’t help the laugh that rushes out of her, “It’s not for lack of trying!” she exclaims. She leans forward to whisper, “It’s lucky he’s not the only one with friends in high places.”

David shakes his head, unable to keep the smile off his face. They sit there, smiling at each other before David asks, “Do you know when their parents’ are coming home?”

She knows who he’s talking about. Her wife. His girlfriend. Their parents. Only the most dangerous people on the East Coast, quite possibly the whole nation and maybe even the entire Western Hemisphere. She shakes her head, “They won’t tell us until they’ve already landed here in Boston. But Lila’s christening would probably be a safe bet. We have it scheduled for a few weeks from now. Henry’s got his science project around then too, so I’m assuming they’ll stay here for both.”

“And they’ll cause a little chaos too.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt it,” Emma tells him with a fond shake of her head. They might be the scariest, most dangerous couple she knows, but they dote on their grandkids, that’s for sure. 

“What are we going to do?” he asks.

“Hope no one realizes it until they’re already on their way back to the island,” she says with a shrug.

David shakes his head, “I wish I had your optimism.”

Emma snorts, “Let’s just hope we can distract Jones until then. That’s the only way we stand a chance.”

It’s then that her phone rings. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. When she opens then, David is standing. “Good luck,” he tells her earnestly.

She smiles, waving him off as she picks up the phone.

***

After getting her ass reamed by both the former and current Commissioners, she concedes to allowing Jones a _fraction_ of his proposed budget. In return, she is allowed to have David oversee Jones’ work (well, their exact words were “work _with_ ” but she knows better). With David there to distract Jones, or warn Emma if he’s getting too close, they’ll all be better off.

She pulls both Jones and David into her office that afternoon to tell them the update and Jones looks smug, as if he’s won something, and Emma lets him think that. That somehow she hadn’t planned on this all along. She can’t wait to tell Regina how long-term she was thinking today. She’ll be so proud.

Emma sends them out of her office and locks it up. She flips her cell phone on her way out telling David, “I’ll be reachable by phone if you need me.”

“But _don’t_ need you?” he finishes. 

“Exactly,” she says with a winning grin.

He laughs and nods, “Tell your wife you love her,” he tells her.

“As if I need a reminder,” she jokes.

“Kiss those babies,” he adds.

“Come visit once in a while and you would see how big they’re getting.”

He nods, “I will as soon as my boss gives me a break.”

She scoffs and shakes her head, walking out the door without another word.

***

“Hey babe,” she says as she walks into the house and finds her wife on the couch with their sleeping daughter.

“Hello, darling,” she greets, leaning up to kiss her wife when she moves close enough. “How was your day?” she asks as Emma sits beside her, tucking her under her arm.

“It was alright,” she says, leaning back against the couch and closing her eyes. They’re silent a moment before she sits forward, jostling her wife as she says, “Babe! You’re going to _love_ what I did today.”

Regina looks unsure, “Why’s that?” she deadpans.

She goes into detail about her day and at the end, Regina stands up, carefully setting their daughter in her bassinet. Without saying a word, she grabs the baby monitor, and moves out of the room. Emma’s confused, but stands and follows, if a little leery. She follows her wife out into the garage. She closes the door and turns to see her wife standing in the middle of the garage, “You know, I _think_ this is how murder mysteries start,” she tries to joke. When Regina turns around, the murder in her eyes makes Emma pause. “Babe?”

“You stuck a detective detail on me? On my family? _Our_ family?”

“Whoa,” Emma says, stepping back and lifting her hands up. 

Regina holds up a hand, pointing a finger at her wife, looking scared with eyes blown wide. Or is it really something more than fear? “You’re putting our family at risk!”

“No I’m not, Gi!”

She groans, “Don’t call me that.”

Emma smirks, “Regina, babe, come on. You know I would _never_ put our family at risk. Jones tried to go above my head on some ‘sting operation,’” she adds in finger quotes, “And I was able to stop him, or at least put a damper on that jackass attitude of his.” She continues with a shake of her head, “I cut his budget into pieces, redistributed the majority of it to other projects that could actually yield some information, and assigned David to work with him. That way we know what Jones will know and plan accordingly.”

“So instead of putting us in danger, you put David in danger?” Regina asks with a raised eyebrow.

Emma can’t hide her eye roll, “David isn’t in any danger. Jones is as dumb as a box of rocks, and as soon as he fails _another_ mission, I might have enough to get him kicked out of my unit.”

Regina softens, moving closer to her wife, “So you actually thought this through?”

“I _do_ actually have a brain, you know,” Emma scoffs.

“Oh, I know dear. Contrary to popular belief, I didn’t marry you for those tight jeans you make look so good,” Regina purrs.

Emma smirks, “I knew you thought I was a genius.”

Now it’s Regina’s turn to scoff, “I don’t think I would go that far, Emma.” She softens her teasing with a kiss.

Emma tightens her grip around Regina’s waist, pulling her closer, “So, am I forgiven?”

“I’m thinking about it,” Regina whispers against her lips.

“Anything I can do to sway the jury?” Emma teases.

“I can think of a few ways,” Regina tells her, tilting her head to expose her neck. 

Emma happily obliges. Until her phone rings. And the baby monitor lights up as their daughter starts moving around.

“Damn,” Emma says, leaning her forehead against her wife’s collarbone.

Regina sighs and reaches up to tangle her fingers between golden locks. She tightens her grip and whispers against Emma’s ear, “We’re nowhere near finished,” she promises as she pushes her wife off of her and moves away from the wall. 

Emma leans against the wall and chuckles as her wife fixes her hair and walks back into the house. She pulls out her phone, “Swan,” she answers.

“Cap,” David starts. Emma is silent, so he continues, “I know you’ve got the night off, just wanted to let you know that Jones is claiming to have a source on the inside.”

“Really,” Emma scoffs. “Okay, sounds good. I’ll take care of it.”

“Okay.”

“Thanks David.”

“No problem, Captain.”

**

“Okay, guys,” Emma starts, “I have a plan.” There are murmurs and a few shocked faces.

“Did you know about this?” Mary-Margaret asks her sister.

“Har-Har M&M,” Emma says with a glare. “I know that Leo and Cora are living it up on the island, with Leo and his tinkering and Cora and her….gardening,” she says with a surprised look, “Yeah, I know. We were surprised too, being a grandma on a permanent vacation really softened her up.”

 _“Anyway_ ,” Regina says before anyone can chime in, including Leo and Cora on the video conference. “We know they’re enjoying retirement, but things are heating up at the precinct. Detective Jones seems to think he’s close to finding the White Family’s insider within the department.” Quiet murmurs around. 

“Don’t worry, they don’t suspect me,” Emma tells everyone at the table.

“Yet,” Regina points out with a raised eyebrow. 

Everyone is silent, watching the two women stare each other down. “So that’s why we’re going to stage a shootout!” Emma blurts out with a grin.

“No, we’re not,” Regina says adamantly.

“It’s perfect! Squash the rumors Kililan’s been starting AND get everyone else off our trail. Win-win!”

“It could work,” Leo says softly, everyone immediately silencing to hear him speak.

Cora disagrees.

“Everyone will be safe,” Mary-Margaret promises.

**

Emma and David are sitting with Killian. He said there was something going down with the White Family and he thinks Leo will be there.

“Leo White?” Emma asks with raised eyebrows.

“Yeah, rumors are he’s back in town, meaning he’ll be here.”

Emma follows along, coming with David and Killian to ‘supervise’. 

They’re sitting barely 30 minutes when Emma watches Regina, Mary-Margaret and Ruby show up, walking into the abandoned warehouse the family has owned for decades.

Killian jumps the gun, startling Emma and David. “FREEZE!” he shouts, running before SWAT was on site; exactly as Emma planned.

Mary-Margaret and Ruby start shooting. Killian returns fire and Emma and David carefully shoot around the women before them, hollering between one another and at the women to stand down.

A bullet grazes Emma. “Oh, I am never going to hear the end of this,” Regina murmurs when she realizes where her stray bullet landed. She was never very good with a gun, why they gave her one and told her to shoot, she’ll never know.

David drags an injured Emma away, as Killian continues firing. Regina isn’t firing, hasn’t since she hit Emma, she’s trying not to hyperventilate. Mary-Margaret and Ruby are watching, carefully placed behind a car in the alley. Killian’s shots ricocets off the lightpole, the car, and everything between him and the women. A stray bullet bounces back at him, striking him right between ribs.

“Oh fuck,” David yells as he pulls Emma to safety.

“Go!” Mary-Margaret calls, they’ll take care of this before SWAT shows up.

They clean up the evidence and Ruby drives them back to Regina and Emma’s house.

Regina is freaking out, hasn’t stopped in all this time. What if she really hurt Emma? They took it too far. It was _so very stupid_. 

Mary-Margaret mentions to Regina that she should actually be MAD at Emma. this whole scheme was her idea.

Regina agrees. Then narrows her eyes at her sister and adds, “You promised me everyone would be safe.”

“We should focus on your wife,” Mary-Margaret says turning away and focusing on the kitchen counter.

The front door opens and Regina rushes toward it. David brings Emma in. She hobbles to the couch.

There’s an awkward silence. Everyone fretting over Emma until she’s settled.

“How was your day, darling?” Regina asks with a fake smile.

Silence.

Emma blinks up at her wife. “YOU FUCKING **SHOT** ME! That was my day at work!”

“How very dramatic. It’s barely a flesh wound,” Regina says with an eyeroll.

“I’ll scar!”

“Only if you try,” Regina scoffs.

Silence.

Regina sighs, putting her head in her hand, “I’m sorry,” she whispers.

Everyone shocked. Regina NEVER apologizes. The only one to even claim she’s heard those words from Regina is Emma. And no one believed her.

“I didn’t know that word was in her vocabulary,” Mary-Margaret stage whispers to Ruby who snickers.

“Everyone leave before I shoot you all,” Regina tells them without looking away from Emma.

“You wouldn’t,” Ruby scoffs, calling her bluff.

An entirely serious glare leaves Regina and wraps the room in ice.

“Yeah, okay.” Everyone leaves, shuffling from the room and then the house..

“Let’s get you upstairs,” Regina says, “You need to rest.”

“Yeah, because you shot me.”

"Oh, you're just never going to let that go are you?"

"Hmmmmm, let me think about that. Ummmm NOPE never going to get over this," Emma tells her as she grabs onto Regina’s shoulders, helping her stand upright.

"Shut up and let me take care of you," Regina says helping her wife up the stairs.

"Perfect," Emma says with a smirk. "Let the groveling begin."

"Oh, darling," Regina says with a wicked grin, "You haven't seen nothin' yet," she promises with a wink.

  
  


**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [A Captain and A Mobster](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26204194) by [RegalLady36](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RegalLady36/pseuds/RegalLady36)




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